Epping Forest Local Strategic Partnership

In 2008 Epping Forest had a population of 123,900 people.  51.42% of the population is female and 48.58% is male. Based on 2006 estimates, the population of Epping Forest is anticipated to increase by 16% over the next 25 years. This assumes a net migration rate of around 500 people per year, and the birth rate exceeding the death rate by about 200 people annually. This increase compares to an Essex average of 24%. The largest increase is anticipated in Colchester (47%), while the smallest is expected in Harlow (6%). Epping Forest’s is the 4th lowest projected increase in the County and is below the national (19%) and regional (25%) projections.

Just over 10.00% of the population belongs to Black and Minority Ethnic groups. This is the highest percentage in Essex, marginally higher than Harlow, although below the national average of 15.3% . The Essex average is just under 6%. Grange Hill ward contains the most BME residents. It is made up of 10.5% Asian or British Asian residents, 2.5% black or black British, 2.1% mixed and 1.7% Chinese / other. 83.3% of the population are white. Other wards with large BME populations include Chigwell Village (88.11% white), Chigwell Row (88.61% white), Loughton Forest (92.83% white) and Buckhurst Hill West (93.08% white). The areas with the least BME residents are Moreton and Fyfield (99.2% white), Shelley (98.82% white) and High Ongar Willingale and The Rodings (98.46% white). Epping Forest has the highest number of Ethnic Minority Group (EMG) pupils in Essex; 14.2% of the total numbers. This compares to an Essex average of 8.1%.

In January 2009, Epping Forest was home to 164 caravans. 14.9% of all the caravans in Essex. The only district with more caravans than Epping Forest is Basildon, which has 39.6% of the total number of caravans in the County. Chelmsford has the 3rd most caravans in Essex. Collectively, these 3 districts have 66.4% of the total number of caravans in Essex. Almost 90% of the caravans in Epping Forest are on authorised sites with planning permission.

The number of children in Epping Forest secondary schools has remained relatively constant, at just under 6,000, for the last 5 years. The number of pupils in Primary schools has actually fallen, from around 8,700 to around 8,300. This follows the broad trend of Essex as a whole. It is predicted that the number of pupils in Epping Forest will remain unchanged between now and 2012.

In 2008 Epping Forest was ranked 10^th of 12 Essex districts for secondary school children achieving 5 or more grades A*-C at GCSE8. In 2008 57.7% of Epping Forest pupils achieved 5 or more grades A*-C. The Essex average was 63.3% and the national average; 65.3%.

Between 2004-6, MSOA013 (wards of Loughton Alderton and Loughton Roding) had the highest life expectancy (84.71 years) in Essex. However, there are 4 MSOAs in the lowest 20% for life expectancy in Essex. MSOA007 (Wards of Waltham Abbey Paternoster and Waltham Abbey North East) has the 2nd lowest life expectancy in Essex (75.41 years). This variation of 9.3 years between the highest and lowest life expectancy is the 2nd highest in Essex, behind Tendring (10.18 years difference). The average variation in Essex is 6.25 years. Higher educational attainment and skills levels in the adult population are slightly below the county average for working-age population with no qualifications; 14.1% compared to 14.4%. Below the county average for working age population with an NVQ level 4 or above; 19.6% of working-age adults, compared to 23.4%.

Between 2004-6, MSOA013 (wards of Loughton Alderton and Loughton Roding) had the highest life expectancy (84.71 years) in Essex.  However, there are 4 MSOAs in the lowest 20% for life expectancy in Essex. MSOA007 (Wards of Waltham Abbey Paternoster and Waltham Abbey North East) has the 2nd lowest life expectancy in Essex (75.41 years).  This variation of 9.3 years between the highest and lowest life expectancy is the 2^nd highest in Essex, behind Tendring (10.18 years difference).  The average variation in Essex is 6.25 years.

Epping Forest has a higher than the average rate for hospital admissions for cancer.  And one ward has the highest male cancer mortality rate in Essex.

The district is above the East of England average and close to the England average for all cause mortality rates for females in 2003-05.

Female mortality rates for both respiratory and circulatory diseases were above the England average for 2007.

Epping Forest has an estimated obesity rate of 22.9% of adults.  This is the 4th lowest in Essex, and below the Essex average rate of 24.9%.  The district has the 3rd lowest obesity rate in Essex for Reception age children; 7.33%, compared to an Essex average of 8.4%.  16.2% of Year 6 children are obese.  This is just above the Essex average of 15.9%.

Epping Forest has a below-Essex-average level of smoking prevalence; 21.6%, compared to average of 22.8%.  Several areas within the district have pockets of high smoking-attributable mortality.

The teenage conception rate in Epping Forest is 25.4 per 1,000 15-17 year old girls, compared to the Essex average of 31.8.  The average across England is over 40.

In 2005/06 there were four districts below the 69% average Breastfeeding initiation rate for the County;  These were Basildon, Epping Forest, Harlow and Tendring.

Above average participation in moderate activity for 30 minutes, 3 days per week in 2005/06.  21% of people participate in such activity, compared to an Essex average of 20.2%.  The national average is also 21%.

A household is said to be in fuel poverty if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel to maintain a satisfactory heating regime.  38 of Epping Forest’s 78 LSOAs are in the 20% least at risk of experiencing fuel poverty.  5 are in the 20% most at risk, of which 2 are in the 10% most at risk of experiencing fuel poverty; these being the wards of Passingford and Moreton and Fyfield, with 6.74% and 6.72% of the population respectively at risk of experiencing fuel poverty.

The district is in the best quartile for non-decent LA dwellings.

The average house price was significantly above the England average in 2007.

Epping was slightly above the regional average for household accepted as homeless in 2005/06.  3.96 per 1,000 households, compared to the Essex average of 3.89.

The number of children in Epping Forest secondary schools has remained relatively constant, at just under 6,000, for the last 5 years.  The number of pupils in Primary schools has actually fallen, from around 8,700 to around 8,300.  This follows the broad trend of Essex as a whole.  It is predicted that the number of pupils in Epping Forest will remain unchanged between now and 2012

In 2008 Epping Forest was ranked 10^th of 12 Essex districts for secondary school children achieving 5 or more grades A*-C at GCSE8. In 2008 57.7% of Epping Forest pupils achieved 5 or more grades A*-C. The Essex average was 63.3% and the national average; 65.3%

Over the last 4 years, Epping Forest’s results have improved by around 10%, which is the 4^th highest percentage increase in the County (behind Maldon, Tendring and Basildon) but is generally in line with the regional and national picture of improvement over the same period.

In the 2008 Place Survey, Epping Forest residents chose education provision as their 7^th most important issue (selected by 25% of respondents).  In the list of things that most need improving, education provision was 14th, selected by only 10% of respondents.  In a 2008 residents’ survey, Essex residents selected education as their 6^th most important issue (selected by 31% of respondents).  Education provision was 19^th on the list of things that need improving in Essex, selected by only 7% of respondents.

In April 2009, Epping Forest had the lowest rate of children NEET in Essex; 2.2%, compared to an Essex average of 7%.  Epping Forest’s average rate for the year 2008-9 was 2.8%.  Uttlesford (3.9%) and Brentwood and Chelmsford (4.2%) had the 2^nd and 3^rd lowest rates.  The Essex average was 6.7%, while the national average was just over 7%.  The only months when Epping Forest’s rate was over 4% were August (4.3%), September (4.4%) and October (4.1%).

Slightly below the County average for working-age population with no qualifications; 14.1% compared to 14.4%.  Below the County average for working age population with an NVQ level 4 or above; 19.6% of working-age adults, compared to 23.4%

Epping Forest has the 3^rd highest rate in Essex for working age adults with NVQ level 1 qualifications; 80%, behind Brentwood (80.2%) and Chelmsford (87.3%).  However, only 57.2% of the working age population has an NVQ level 2 qualification (ranked 7^th in Essex) and 35.4% have an NVQ level 3 qualification (ranked 8^th in Essex).

Epping Forest is slightly above the regional average for unemployment in 2006.  In August 2008, Epping Forest was slightly below the Essex average for number of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) claimants.

Performance is in the worst quartile for processing new benefits claims (37.3 days).  Performance is in the worst quartile for responding to changes in income in relation to benefit claims (14.4 days).

There is a high demand for affordable housing.  The estimated shortfall in new affordable housing units is 642.

The issue of access to parks and open spaces was selected as the 6th most important issue in the 2008 Place survey, selected by 28% of respondents.  25.9% of people in Essex selected this as a priority, making it the 8^th most important issue.  This issue was only 16th on the list of things that most need improving in Epping Forest, selected by 8.4% of respondents.  County-wide, only 7.9% of respondents selected it as one of the things that most needs improving.

In the Place survey, access to nature was the 4^th most important issue to Epping Forest residents (behind level of crime, health services and clean streets), selected by 32.1% of respondents.  In Essex, the figure dropped to 24.2%, which made it the 9^th most important issue.  This shows that Epping Forest residents consider their access to nature to be more important than the rest of Essex residents do.  Neither Epping Forest, nor Essex residents considered access to nature to be significantly in need of improvement (only 2% and 4% respectively selecting it as an issue that needs improvement).

On a per capita basis has a high level of CO₂ emissions mainly because of the M11 and M25 motorways.

In the 2008 Place survey, 38% of respondents selected clean streets as an important issue, making it the 3rd most popular response. On the list of things that most need improving, clean streets was placed 6^th.

Level of traffic congestion is in the top quartile nationally.

Public transport was identified in the 2008 Place Survey as the 5th most important issue to Epping Forest residents (selected by 30% of respondents.  Public transport was placed 4th on the list of things that most need improving in the 2008 Place survey.

Epping Forest is above the Essex average for tonnes of waste recycled.  The district has the 3rd highest recycling rate per capita in Essex.  Epping Forest is above the Essex average for tons of waste produced, both in total, and per capita.

Epping residents were invited to compete against the Epping District Council Chairman Cllr Penny Smith on a special ‘Smarter Driving’ simulator. This was during the Smarter Driving Roadshow held in February in Epping High Street. The winner received a brand new satellite navigation system and the experience was designed to help people learn how to drive more economically using this unique simulator, saving money on their fuel bills.  This competition was part of the Smarter Driving Roadshow, organised by Epping Forest District Council in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust and Essex County Council. It showed local residents how to save money on their energy bills in the home and whilst they are out and about.  The Roadshow included The Energy Saving Trust interactive trailer, featuring examples of renewable energy and trained advisors to provide information on the grants available to assist people in installing measures such as solar hot water, heat pumps and cavity wall insulation. People were also invited to complete a questionnaire to identify potential energy saving measures that could be made to their home to help save up to £300 on energy bills every year.

Epping Forest has the highest number of KSI (killed and seriously injured) casualties in Essex. However, the number of KSI casualties in Epping has been mostly below target since the baseline period (1994-8). In 2008 there were 113 KSI casualties, 18 KSI casualties fewer than in 2007 and 14 below the target line. Up to the 2nd quarter of 2009 there have been 41 KSI casualties, 17 fewer than at the same stage of last year and 19 less than the target for this period.

Male alcohol-specific hospital admission rate; 211.93 compared to an Essex average of 198.89.  Female rate; 96.02 compared to an Essex average of 96.77.  Young people in Essex are able to buy alcohol most easily in Epping Forest and Harlow.

Average level of violent crime and anti social behaviour compared to the rest of Essex.

The tracker series of surveys show that fear of crime in the local area, both during the day and at night, is slightly lower in Epping Forest than the Essex average.

42% of Epping Forest SOA’s fall in to the 20% most deprived domains in Essex using the Crime IMD figures.

The 2008 Place Survey results show that the level of crime is top of the list of Epping Forest residents’ list of important issues, however it is only 5^th on the list of things that most need improving.

Epping Forest has the highest % of burglaries in Essex.

Epping Forest District Council called in the services of Essex Probation Community Payback to rid a wall in Epping of graffiti in February 2010. The District Council had received complaints from local residents about graffiti on the wall, which runs along the footpath linking Centre Drive to the Underground Station.  After discovering the wall was owned by a local residents’ association, the Council’s Safer Communities Team purchased paint, brushes and rollers and worked with the Essex Probation Team to arrange for the painting over of the full length of the wall. As part of their sentence, offenders are often ordered by the court to carry out hours of work to pay back the community, as was the case for this wall.  Following this transformation, the local residents’ association has agreed to store any excess tins of paint and one local resident has offered to carry out regular checks on the wall, painting over any new graffiti if required.  Additionally, the residents’ association is also arranging, through the Council’s external contractors, to cover the length of the wall in anti-graffiti paint. 

Epping Forest is the 4th most deprived district in Essex in terms of access to services.  It contains the most deprived LSOA in the county in terms of access to services (Passingford ward).